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About $1.1 billion was raised by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management through onshore oil and gas lease sales of federal land, but on possibly the smallest amount of land in more than 30 years.

In fiscal year 2018, the BLM reported an all-time high of oil production on federal land at 214,1 million barrels produced, but also claimed the smallest foot print of acreage since 1985 at about 25.5 million acres.

Fiscal year 1985 saw a BLM footprint of 120.6 million acres under lease, read a news release from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The dollars came from 28 lease sales of BLM-owned federal land in western states, records show.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said the low acreage was due to advances in technology such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, also known as unconventional drilling.

Experts estimated an unconventional well could account for up to 20 conventional wells.

“Demonstrating the marvel of technology and innovation, our production numbers are unprecedented, even though we have the fewest acres under lease in almost four decades,” Bernhardt said. “President (Donald) Trump has ensured that America’s great energy renaissance includes federal lands while delivering high paying jobs and low-cost fuel.”

Activity continues to grow

The BLM also saw an increase in drilling permits issues to oil and gas producers on federal land, growing 55 percent in the last two years from 2,184 in fiscal year 2016 to 3,388 in FY 2018.

BLM officials worked to streamline the permitting process last year, cutting the average time to process an application to permit drilling (APD) by more than 30 percent since FY 2017, read the release.

In 2016, read the release, an APD took an average of 257 days to be processed, and in 2018 the wait time was 176 days.

“Automated processes were implemented to increase the efficiency and transparency of the APD review and approval process, providing greater regulatory certainty for stakeholders,” the release read. “With these improvements, BLM remains dedicated to further reducing these permitting times.”

The number of wells started in fiscal year 2018 also grew in the last two years, read the release, from 847 in FY 2016 to 1,919 in FY 2018 – an increase of 127 percent or more than 1,000 wells.

Federal land was leased at the highest rate in the last decade with 24,028 producing leases in FY 2018, the release read, with BLM receiving bids on about 1.5 million acres – the highest in more than 10 years, and an 87 percent increase from 792,823 acres bid on in FY 2017.

The oil and gas industry also nominated or filed expressions of interest (EOI) for 11 percent more acres in 2018 than in 2016, records show.

In 2018, EOIs covered about 8.7 million acres for oil and gas development on public lands.

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Ranchers from the Hope community discuss their concerns regarding the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's proposed revisions to its Pecos District, which contains Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties, Sept. 19, 2018 at the Hope Community Center. Adrian Hedden | Current-Argus

Concerned Hope residents review maps of acreage that could be re-designated under proposed revisions to the Bureau of Land Management's Pecos District resource management plan, Sept. 19, 2018 at the Village of Hope Community Center. Adrian Hedden | Current-Argus

Ranchers from the Hope community discuss their concerns regarding the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's proposed revisions to its Pecos District, which contains Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties, Sept. 19, 2018 at the Hope Community Center. Adrian Hedden | Current-Argus

Ranchers from the Hope community discuss their concerns regarding the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's proposed revisions to its Pecos District, which contains Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties, Sept. 19, 2018 at the Hope Community Center. Adrian Hedden | Current-Argus

Ranchers from the Hope community discuss their concerns regarding the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's proposed revisions to its Pecos District, which contains Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties, Sept. 19, 2018 at the Hope Community Center. Adrian Hedden | Current-Argus

Hope ranchers review data from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's proposed revisions to its Pecos District, which contains Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties, Sept. 19, 2018 at the Hope Community Center. Adrian Hedden | Current-Argus